Pumping assembly



June 24, 1958 w. w. GAVIN I 2,840,119

PUMPING ASSEMBLY Filed July 25, 1956 v s Sheets-Sheet 1 rfl/ 1 INVENTOR. Y BY ATTORNE.

J U U wnn June 24, 1958 w. w. GAVIN 2,840,119

I PUMPING ASSEMBLY Filed July 25, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet IN V EN TOR.

' iii/4% ATTORNEY June 24, 1958 Filed July 25, 1956 W. W. GAVIN PUMPING ASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IIIIIIIIIIA I INVENTOR. By 2 Z/A flu;

ATTORNEY United States Patent PUMPING ASSEMBLY Application July 25, 1956, Serial No. 599,993

11 Claims. (Cl. 141-21) This invention relates to pumping assemblies, more particularly pumping assemblies for use with containers that are buried or underground.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of novel pumping assemblies which are particularly simple to install and maintain.

The above as well asv additional objects of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of several of its exemplifications, reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a partially broken away vertical section along the line 1-1 in Fig. 2, of a pumping assembly in accordance with the present invention;'

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the assembly of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of the assembly of Figs. 1 and 2 taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 of a modified form of pumping assembly embodying the present invention; and

- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 of a further modified form of the invention.

According to the present invention a very desirable form of pumping assembly includes an elongated casing having connection means at one end for connection to an opening in a container, a pumping conduit inserted into the casing with pump holding elements adjacent its inner end for positioning in the container and a transversely exposed discharge opening adjacent its outer end, a discharge head covering the other end of the conduit, said head defining a chamber alongside the pumping conduit, the chamber having a transversely exposed opening communicating with the opening adjacent the outer end of theconduit, and venting and pump discharge outlet structure mounted in said head laterally of the pumpingconduit, so as not to interfere with the insertion or'withdrawal of the conduit through the casing, the outer end of the pumping conduit carrying a flange extending over and in sealing relation to the discharge head for fastening the parts together.

Aparticularly effective construction has electrical co ductors fitted through the pumping conduit and equipped with a swivelled electrical junction box for connection to a suitable source of electric power. Furthermore, the venting and other pump discharge structures can be secured on the top of the discharge head so that the assembly can be buried almost completely in the ground with only the dischargehead top accessible for maintenance operations or the like.

Referring now to the drawings, indicates a portion 'ofan underground tank having an opening 12 through which the contents of the tank can be reached. Threaded in opening 12 is an elongated casing 14 which extends from the tank to the discharge head 16 conveniently located at or adjacent to the ground level; A flange 18 threaded to'the top of the casing is shown as secured to a flange 20 on the bottom of the head, as by bolts 22. A sealing gasket 24' compressed betweenflanges 18- and 20 cgnbe used to make the connection fluicbtight. j H

Between a pair of adjacent bolts 22 the discharge hea 16 is enlarged to provide a lateral extension or wing 25. The top of the discharge head is also flanged at 28 around a bore 30, and another bore 32 at the bottom flange 20 cooperates with it to form an effective continuation for casing 14. Between its flanges the discharge head has a hollow collar 34 which opens into wing 25.

Bores 30 and 32 preferably have an internal diameter at least as large as that of casing 14 so that a pump and motor combination 36 can be introduced through'the head and casing into the container 10. In the figure, the pump and motor combination is shown as supported by a diffuser nipple 38 which is threadedly engaged to the bottom of a pump conduit 40. The top of this conduit is in turn threadedly engaged in the floor 42 of a hollow cover 44. This floor is arranged to seal against the wall of bore 32, and an O-ring 46 carried in a groove in the lateral face of the floor makes a very effective seal.

The hollow cover 44 has a flanged top 48 that overlaps flange 28 on the top of the discharge head. Flanges 48 and 28 are sealed together as by means of-the bolts 50, and another O-ring 52. Connecting the floor 42 and top 48 of the cover is a tubular web 54 which encircles an internal space 56. This space 56 communicates with chamber 26 through one of more ports 58 in web 54.

In the illustrated construction the pump motor is an electric motor and has conductor leads 60 that extend through the length of conduit 40. A sleeve 62 can encircle the leads 60 so as to keep the leads out of contact with the fluid pumped up in the conduit. The lower end of sleeve 62 can for this purpose be threadedly engaged in the motor and the upper end can penetrate through an aperture 64 in cover flange 48. To make sure that the pumped fluid does not leak out through aperture 64, a gland type of packing is shown in Fig. 1. This includes packing 66 encircling sleeve 62 and received in a recess 68 on the cover top 48, the recess being surrounded by a tubular wall 70 to make a packing gland. Threadedly fitted within the wall 70 is a packing gland-nut 72, the lower end of which is jammed against the packing 66 by suitable tightening of the threaded connection.

If it is desired to completely seal the space within the A sleeve 62 from communication with the exterior, the

mouth 74 of sleeve 62 can be filled with a plastic sealing mixture 76 such as that made by mixing one part by weight water, two parts by weight of glycerine, and eight parts by weight of litharge. The plastic mixture is preferably squeezed into the sleeve mouth so as to fill up allthe space between the internal surface of the sleeve and the external surfaces of the conductors 60. A threequarter inch depth of such sealing is generally suflicient.

A very useful feature of the present invention is the provision-of an electrical junction box 78 on the cover top 48 surrounding the site where the conductors emerge,

this junction box having a lateral nipple 80 and being freely rotatable so that the nipple can be oriented in any direction. As shown, the junction box is in the general form of a hollow, flat cylinder with a journal lip 82 turned up from the cylinder floor and joiurnalled about the packing gland wall 70. An expandable spring ring 84 engaged in an outwardly facing groove 86 of Wall 70 projects outwardly far enough to keep the junction box from being accidentally removed. The box is also shown' as having a removable cover 88 threaded in place and provided with a set of upstanding lugs 90 between which a rotating tool can be fitted when the cover is to be applied or removed.

Thejinterior ofthe junction box can be sealed, as shown ;'the box is properlygrounded for example anelectrical for example, by the sealing rings 92, 94, with respect to the packing gland wall and the cover.

For a more dependable electrical interconnection between the junction box and discharge head, to make sure Patented June 24, 1958 I 3 a bonding conductor 95 can be firmly secured to the respective members as shown in Fig. 2. The conductor can be either flexible, to allow box ration, or rigid to restrict such rotation.

In the lower portion of the discharge head extension, the wing 25 opens into a lower chamber 26. which is separated from an upper chamber 96 by an L-shaped internal web 98. In thisweb there is a communication passage'100, and a combination check and pressure-relief valve 102 cooperates with this passage. In the illustrated embodiment this valve is made up ofa sealing disc 104 carried by a supporting disc 106 and threadedly clamped on a floating pin 108 between a nut 110 and an enlarged head 112.. A biasing spring 114 urges the sealing disc' downwardly into closing engagement against wall 100. A guide recess 116 in a cover block. 120 keeps the pin properlyaligned so that after being forced upwardly it will return to itsproper sealing position. The cover block can also have a relief passageway 122 communicating with the guide recess 116 and the hollow interior 124 of pin 108, in this way providinga pressure relief exhaust from chamber 96. ,A pressure relief valve 126 inserted in the head of pin 108 keeps this-passageway closed off unless the pressure in chamber 96 is greater than a predetermined pressure greater than the pressure in chamber 26. I

.Upperchamber 96 opens into an outlet pipe, as shown at 130 for example in Fig. 2, on one face 1320f the discharge head extension 25. The opposite face 134 can also have provision for a discharge pipe, if desired. In Fig. 2 a plug 136 is shown as sealing the outlet on face For the venting of vapors or gasses thatare pumped up along with liquid from container 10, the discharge head, as shown in Fig. 2, also includes a by-pass from chamber ,26 back to thespace between casing 14 andconduit 40. The details-of this-arrangement are shown in Fig. 3, where the upper portion of chamber 26 adjacent the. periphery of cover 48 opens. into a passageway 140 in the side wall of the head'at a location spaced from the extension 25. This passageway 140 opens at 142 in the top of the head adjacent a well 144 that also opens at the top of, the head. A check valve 146 is mounted near the bottom of the well close to a by-pass return passageway 148 that opens, into thespace between casing 14 and conduit 40. The checkvalve can be held in place as by means of a sleeve 150. To make sure that all bypassing fluids, are controlled by the check valve, the outer surface of the sleeve 150 is preferably sealed against the. discharge head wall as by closely fitting it in place and, in, addition, cementing at least the upper portion of it with the litharge-gylcerine-water mixture described above. The check valve itself can be of any desired construction and, as illustrated, can have a longitudinally grooved plug 154 fitted with a replaceable insert 156 clamped inplace by plate 158. The insert is held biased against a ringshaped seat 160 by means of a coil spring 162 compressed between the seat and an elastic C-ring 164 mounted ina groove in plug 154. I i

With the above construction a block or connecting element 170 having a U-shaped passageway 172 can be fastened to the discharge head as by the bolts176 (Fig. 2) so as to complete the by-pass path from 140 to the return 148. For added precautions, seals 178 and 180. can be placed around the months at each end of the U-shaped passageway. e

. The block 170 can also be equipped with an ejector assembly for syphoning liquids from a separate line 192, as, for example to add liquid to tank 10. The illustrated ejector assembly includes a venturi tube 198 threadedly fitted in thedischarge mouth of passageway 172 and projecting out below the bottom of the block 170 so that it is received in well 144. A jet nozzle 200 is also' held in block 170 and is spaced a small amount from'the'ven turi tube. so. iaswto cooperate with it..to formzan ejector.-

This nozzle can be made externally accessible as by a removable plug 202 threaded into the top 194 of the block and sealed, if desired, as by the sealing ring 204. A side inlet 206 in the jet nozzle opens into the remainder of passageway 196, and in the low pressure area of the venturi, an external opening 208 communicates with a connector nipple 210.

Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of the invention in which a plain block 190, not equipped with an ejector assembly, takes the place of block 170.

The various components of the pumping assembly can be made of any desired materials, metals being preferred where toughness is needed. However, plastics can also be used with due provision that the plastics are not attacked by the fluids to be pumped. For pumping gasoline or the like, aluminum parts are particularly desirable since aluminum does not generate sparks when struck, and at the same time makes a very effective sealing surface. The mating surfaces of the valves are preferably of brass or similar materials that resist corrosion, and

' the valve spring can also be made of noncorrodible material such as brass or even stainless steel. Gaskets and sealing rings are desirably made of chloroprene or neoprene type rubber that can be filler-free, or can contain up to 30% of asbestos fibers. The packing 66 and gasket 24 can be a rubber-asbestos mixture which is as much as half asbestos fibers.

Assembledin the above manner, the pumping assembly of the. present invention operates when the pump motor is energized as by means of an outside switch inserted inthe electric lines. When energized, liquid is pumped up from the tank through the passageway between the pump conduit 40 and sleeve 62, through the interior 56 of cover, ports 58, chamber. 26, check valve 102, chamber 96,,into pipe 130. The biasing of check valve 102 need not be very large where the pressure in pipe 130 need not have any predetermined minimum. For gasoline pumping, the check valve should open for pressures as low as pound per square inch. As soon as the pump motor is deenergized, the pressure in the outwardly moving liquid stream is reduced and the check valve will then close, thereby barring the return of the liquid from outlet pipe 130 back into the pump assembly. This is very desirable for gasoline pumping.

Check valve 146 can also be arranged to open with pressures even lower than pound per square inch,

. e. g. pound per square inch. This helps in venting otf gasses. The prassageway provided by valve 146 should be smaller in cross-sectional area than that for valve 102 to keep too much liquid from recirculating.

A feature of the present invention is that the pumping assembly can be buried in the ground right up to the top of the discharge head, if desired, or to any intermediate depth. All valves and moving parts can be serviced without disturbing the discharge head. Replacement of the motor can be readily made by unfastening the bolts 50 and after disconnecting the electric lines, lifting the whole cover 48 upwardly. Because the pump and motor as sembly is small enough to fit through the casing 14, as well as the openings 30 and 32, the pump, motor, conduit 40, and whole head 48, will all come out as a unit. To simplify this extraction, particularly where the tank is very deeply buried, or the extracted articles are very heavy, eye-bolts 220 can be threaded or welded into the topflange of cover 48, or the bolts 50 can be provided with lifting eyes as part of their heads.

The pumping assembly of the present invention can have more than one discharge head wing, and the simpler maintenance feature can, if desired, be used with other types of junction boxes, or even with other types of pumps. The assembly is also adaptable for, containers that are not underground, but are inaccessible for other reasons. 1 j

The sealing surface 32 can be tapered, if desired, and the seal above surface can be moved down to surface 30 which can also be tapered. Alternatively the seal against surface 32 can be moved up to the top of the discharge head floor, which can be suitably shaped for this purpose. Furthermore, the cover 44 can be made integral with the conduit 40.

Fig. 5 shows a modified conduit and cover construction in which the conduit 240 is connected to a cover 244 that does not have the cage-like construction illustratedin Fig. 1. Instead, cover 244 is in the form of a moreor-less simple block with the appropriate sealing arrangements for the associated structures such as flange 28, gland 72, etc. A well 248 in the lower face of the cover directly receives the upper end of the conduit which can be secured in place as by a threaded joint. The well in turn communicates with chamber 226 as by means of inclined passageways 250 drilled through the block. If desired, however, the side wall of the well 246 can merely be longitudinally grooved al ong one or more small por-- tions of its periphery and thus provide the required communication. Where a threaded connection is made with the conduit, the one or more peripheral portions of the thread are merely cut by the grooving, without interfering with the threaded connection.

In order to close off the chamber 226 from the annular space between the conduit and the casing, the construction of Fig. 5 also includes a sealing collar 252 threadedly held at its upper end on the conduit, and carrying a sealing ring 246 at its lower end for engagement with the wall 232. The threaded connection between collar 252 and the conduit 240 should be sealed against leakage, as in the usual pipe-fitting technique, whereas the connection to the cover block 244 need not be so sealed.

Instead of an elongated collar, the desired sealing against wall 232 can also be provided by a narrow ringlike collar clamped against the outside of the conduit opposite that wall.

Instead of the litharge-glycerine-water sealing mixture, resin or other types of mixtures can be used. An effective resin for this purpose is the epoxy type materials described in the Narracott article in British Plastics issue of October 1951, pages 341-345. The invention can also be utilized without the pressure relief valve 126 and even without check valve 146.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A pumping assembly for installing a submerged pump within a fluid container, said'assembly comprising an elongated casing, said casing having means at one end thereof for mounting said casing upon an opening in said container, a pumping conduit inserted through said casing into said container with adequate space between said conduit and said casing to facilitate insertion and withdrawal of said conduit and said pump, said pumping conduit having submerged pump connecting elements mounted at its end disposed within said container and terminating at its end disposed outside of said container in a hollow cover member, said hollow cover member having a transverse opening, a discharge head surrounding said hollow cover member and in conjunction therewith defining a chamber having upper and lower apertures and a portion extending transversely from said hollow cover member, said chamber communicating with said transverse opening in said hollow cover member, a venting structure associated with said discharge head and including a venting passageway connecting an upper portion of said chamber with said space between said pumping conduit and said casing for venting said upper portion of said chamber to said container, a discharge outlet means incorporated in 'the side of said discharge head and connected to said chamber, and said hollow cover member having peripheral portions engaged in sealing relationship with the peripheral portions of said dis-' charge head disposed adjacent said apertures.

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said discharge head includes a lower wall disposed adjacent said space, and said venting passageway extends through said lower wall into said space.

3. An assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein a substantially straight portion of said venting passageway is disposed within a side wall and extends through an aperture in an upper wall of said discharge head, another portion of said venting passageway connects another aperture in said upper wall of said discharge head with said chamber, and a connecting element including a U- shaped passageway which is constructed and arranged to connect said apertures in said upper wall is removably mounted upon said upper wall of said discharge head in position to connect said apertures.

4. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said venting passageway incorporates a substantially straight portion, an ejector assembly is disposed in said straight portion, said ejector assembly including a nozzle and a venturi tube, a conduit means connected to a distant container and connected to said discharge head in commu-' nication with a portion of said ventng passageway adjacent said venturi tube to permit .a flow of fluid through said nozzle and venturi tube to induce a flow of fluid through said conduit means into said venturi tube from said distant container.

5. An assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein a sleeve element is partially disposed within an enlarged portion of said substantially straight passageway, and a check valve is mounted within the portion of said sleeve element disposed within said enlarged passageway to permit a flow through said passageway only in the direction from said discharge head to said space.

6. An assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said venturi tube is mounted within the end of said sleeve element remote from said check valve.

7. An assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein a portion of said venting passageway in line with said nozzle extends through an access hole in a wall of said discharge head, and a removable plug is connectedto said access hole to provide access to said nozzle for maintenance purposes and to facilitate the addition of fluid to said container through said discharge head.

8. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein a sleeve carrying electrical conductors extends through said hollow cover member and said conduit to said submerged pump, an electrical junction box is disposed upon a portion of said hollow cover member through which said sleeve carrying said electrical conductors extends, and

'the junction between said sleeve carrying said electrical conductors and said hollow cover member is sealed to prevent a flow of fluid from said hollow cover into said junction box.

9. A pumping assembly for installing a submerged pump within'a fluid container, said assembly comprising an elongated casing, said casing having means at one end thereof for mounting said casing upon an opening in said container, a pumping conduit inserted through said easing into said container with adequate space between said conduit and said casing to facilitate insertion and withdrawal of said conduit and said pump, said pumping conduit having submerged pump connecting elements mounted at its end disposed within said container and terminating at its end disposed outside of said container in a hollow cover member, said hollow cover member having a transverse opening, a discharge head surrounding said hollow cover member and in conjunction therewith defining a chamber having upper and lower apertures and a portion extending transversely from said hollow cover member, said chamber communicating with said transverse opening in said hollow cover member, a discharge outlet means incorporated in the side of said discharge head and connected to said member, said hollow cover member having pev 7 ripheral portions engaged in sealingrelationship with the peripheral portions of said discharge head disposed adiacentsaid apertures, a sleeve carrying electrical conductors extending through said hollow cover member and said co-nduitto said submerged pump, an electrical junction box being mounted upon a portion of said hollow cover member through which said sleeve carrying said electrical conductors extends, the junction between said sleeve carrying said electrical conductors and said hollow cover member being sealed to prevent a flow of fluid into said junction box, and a swivel connector mounting said junction box upon said hollow cover member to facilitate the connection ofexternal electrical conductors thereto.

10. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said transversely extending portion of said discharge head includes a separating wall dividing said chamber within said discharge head into two separate chambers, one of said separate chambers communicating with said transverse opening in said hollow cover member, the other of said separate chambers being disposed in an external portion a, 8 of said discharge head and communicating with said discharge outlet means, said separating wall including an opening, and a check valve being mounted in said opening to permit a flow of fluid only from said first-mentioned separate chamber to said other separate chamber.

11. An assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said separating wall includes a substantially horizontal and a substantially vertical portion, said opening being disposed in said horizontal portion, and said venting passageway being connected to an upper portion of said first-mentioned chamber at a location elevated relative to said check valve to divert any gases and vapors in said firstmentioned chamber away from said check valve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

